Stealing the Animals of the ARC
by Bookworm85
Summary: Mercenaries break into the ARC at night, trapping Becker and Jess inside. The rest of the team race to save them. Jecker, slight Conby.
1. Chapter 1

Stealing the Animals of the ARC

Author's note- Takes place two weeks after season 5 finale.

Becker finished work almost two hours after he had sent his men home. He was making one last pass through the ARC before he would finally leave. It wasn't paranoia, Becker thought, not when bad things happened on a weekly basis, if not more often. He considered what he would call this obsessive checking and rechecking. Preparedness, he concluded.

It had been two weeks since the Convergence. The death toll country-wide was bad, but not as bad if the ARC hadn't been there to help. There hadn't been an anomaly open in that time, which was a blessing. There were enough dinosaurs left behind when the multitude of anomalies had suddenly closed without adding even more to the mix.

There were lights on in the Operations Room. Captain Becker headed in that direction and was only mildly surprised to see Jess still there. Jess Parker worked harder than anybody, and Becker frequently saw her long after most of the others had left. Becker checked his watch. It was eleven. Even he was ready to turn in, but Jess looked like she had no plan on finishing soon.

He approached the Field Coordinator. Today, she was wearing a blue dress with small white polka dots, a white belt, a chunky white necklace, and blue heels also with white polka dots. Becker didn't think about shoes often, the ease his boots allowed him to run was the extent of his thoughts on the matter, but seeing Jess's unusual choice of footwear made him reflect on the topic more often of late.

Becker came up behind her, his boots making no sound on the floor. Jess didn't notice him. She was too busy muttering to herself as she typed on the Anomaly Detection Device. "Still here?" he asked quietly from a few feet away so he wouldn't startle her.

It didn't work. Jess flinched and twirled around in her swivel chair. "Becker! You frightened the life out of me. What are you doing here?"

"I work here," he replied wryly. "Although I'm ready to call it a night. Can I walk you to your car?"

Jess shook her head. "I'm in the middle of something. I didn't see that one Dimetrodon come up behind Matt today when you were all in the field. So I'm recalibrating the city's video feeds so I can get a more complete look. Next time we have a team in the field, I'll be better able to watch their six."

Becker gave her a small smile, proud of her for spending the extra time doing something to protect the team, as well as her using military slang correctly. "How long until you finish?"

"Shouldn't be more than two or three more hours," she replied absently, already turned back to the ADD.

"It's after eleven," Becker pointed out. "You should get to a stopping point and finish up tomorrow."

"I need to get it done tonight. Matt could have died."

Captain Becker noticed the slight crack in her voice. "But he didn't."

"He could have!" Jess raised her voice and turned back around to face the captain.

Becker stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "He didn't," he repeated gently. "I get that you want to protect the people in the field. I do too. But if you wear yourself out by staying too late every night, then you're no good to us during the day when you're too exhausted to think straight."

Now it was Jess's turn to smile. "I think I could give you the same speech."

"I don't need as much sleep," Becker answered defensively.

"Good to know," Jess said so quietly Becker thought he imagined it.

Becker thought better of commenting on that remark. "Time to go. That's an order."

"You're bossy when you don't get enough sleep," Jess said, grinning cheekily. She gave one last look at the ADD. "Fine." She furrowed her brow in annoyance as she shut the device down for the night. She stood and picked up her purse.

"Ready?" Becker asked, and she nodded. They walked down the corridor. "You've been staying after hours a lot lately."

"There's really no such thing as after hours in our line of work," Jess said. "An anomaly could open at any time. It could open now." Their footsteps slowed as they both waited for the alarm to sound. It didn't. "Besides, you stay late too."

"I'm head of security. It's my responsibility to protect the ARC."

"And I'm Field Coordinator. Pretty sure it's my responsibility too."

"I wasn't trying to say that you aren't-" Becker started, but Jess interrupted.

"I know you weren't. I'm just pointing out that we both have reason to stay late." Jess smiled at him, and Becker found himself returning the smile. He tried to think of a compliment for her that would show how much he respected her without letting her see how much he liked her. They took several more steps in silence and Becker had almost come up with something when he heard footsteps coming from in front of them. He drew his sidearm without thinking. Of course it was probably someone who worked at the ARC, but he had found the building empty on his walk through before meeting up with Jess. When four unknown armed men in full uniform turned the corner, Becker raised the gun and pulled Jess behind him with his free arm.

"Identify yourself," he commanded. The men ignored his order and continued forward, their own guns now raised. "Stop, or I'll shoot!"

"I don't think you would do that," said a voice from behind Becker and Jess. "My men would take you out before you got off a single shot." The men in front of them stopped, so Becker kept his gun trained on them while quickly sparing a glance behind him. The voice belonged to another man Becker had never seen. This man was an older, distinguished gentleman. He appeared unarmed, but then again, he didn't need a weapon when he had four trained combatants at his command against one soldier and an unarmed civilian.

"What are you doing here? And how did you get in? This is a restricted building," Becker said angrily. He was not going to show fear to these intruders, but it didn't look good for them. If Jess hadn't been here, he would try to take the leader hostage and then call for backup. But he did have Jess, and as capable as she was at her job, she was no marksman. That is, even if he had a spare gun to give her, which he didn't. At least he had a full magazine. He felt Jess grab a hold of the back of his shirt. He was glad for that. He had enough to concentrate with the men in front of him and the man behind him. Her touch allowed him to keep track of her without looking. Becker scanned for doors between him and the man behind him. His plan was to retreat far enough to get Jess into a room that she could lock while he took care of the intruders. Unfortunately, the only door was behind the leader. Becker didn't think he could get to it subtly enough to keep the leader from ordering his men to shoot.

"It doesn't matter how we got in, Captain Becker," the older man said. Becker flinched at the use of his name.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked.

"That does not matter either. We will be gone in no more than an hour, and if you cooperate, you and Miss Parker will still be alive to see us leave." The leader seemed unconcerned with the possibility of ordering their deaths if they did not cooperate. Becker was a bit more concerned. He used his free hand to reach behind him to check that Jess was still there. He found her and she touched his hand.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered to her, knowing that he was lying but needing her to stay calm.

"Put your gun on the floor," the leader commanded. Becker hesitated. He knew there was no way he could take down all his opponents and guarantee Jess's safety, but everything in him balked at surrendering his weapon and leaving him and Jess at this man's mercy.

"She is not to be harmed," Becker insisted, knowing it was impossible to make this man keep this promise once he was unarmed.

"If you both cooperate, neither of you will be harmed," the leader said. That was the best Becker was going to get. With a scowl, he set the gun down. "Kick it away." Becker did so, but he didn't move from his position in front of Jess.

The leader nodded, and the four armed men advanced again. Becker tensed as they got closer. The next few minutes would show whether or not he had made a huge mistake that would cost both of them their lives. "Phoenix, remove his jacket and search him," the leader commanded. The head of security forced himself to remain still as the ginger man followed the order. Finding no other weapons, the man turned Becker around and zip-tied his hands behind his back. "Grumpy, his gun." The shortest guard claimed Becker's gun and gave it to his boss.

"Let's go," the leader said. Two of the guards, Phoenix and Grumpy, followed behind their boss, and the other two, the tall one and the one Becker mentally called "Muscles," prodded Jess and Becker into moving before trailing behind. The captain looked over at Jess to see how she was holding up. He was proud of her composure. Although it was obvious from her breathing that she was scared, Jess refused to show her fear in any other way. When he caught her eye, she gave him a brave smile, and he tried to give her his most reassuring one in return. The tall guard behind him pushed him forward and Becker had to quickly find his balance so he wouldn't end up sprawled on the floor.

The men ushered them back into the Operations Room. Jess was guided back to her chair and the tall guard and "Muscles" kept Becker about eight feet away. The leader stood behind Jess's chair. Phoenix and Grumpy took up watch by the door. "Bring up the cameras," the boss ordered Jess. She looked to Becker to see if he objected, but when he remained silent, she did what the leader commanded. "Let me see the Menagerie."

Once again the leader knew something he shouldn't. Becker had a bad feeling about the information leak. Where was this man getting his intel? Once again, Jess looked to her coworker, but his face betrayed nothing. For now, Becker thought they should go along with what this man wanted. It would reveal the boss's plan, and then Becker could come up with a counter-mission. "Unlock the door to the outer room," the boss said.

"What are you going to do?" Jess asked, speaking for the first time since their capture.

The boss smiled. "We're going to take the dinosaurs you have and sell them on the black market. The profit will make me very rich."

"You're insane!" Jess exclaimed. "Some of those dinosaurs are incredibly dangerous, and all of them are wild animals. Not to mention they don't belong in this time. The general public-"

"The general public will not be purchasing them," the boss interrupted. "My buyers will be looking for weapons, not pets."

"You think you're going to sell dinosaurs to criminals?" Jess said, disbelieving.

"I don't think it, I know it. Unlock the door."

"No," Jess said, folding her arms over her shoulders. "I won't do it."

The boss nodded to the muscular man guarding Becker, who punched the unarmed man in the face. Becker felt the pain in his cheek as his head turned with the blow. Then the man hit him again, this time in the stomach. The breath left Becker's lungs leaving him winded. When he was hit again, his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. He was aware of Jess crying out his name, but at the moment, his primary concern was breathing.

"That's enough, Brick," the boss said. So "Muscles" was Brick. Becker mentally cataloged the names. They were obviously using codenames, which hinted that they might allow their prisoners to live once they had accomplished their goal. Then again, Becker and Jess had seen their faces and would be able to identify them later.

"You said you wouldn't hurt him," Jess said, tears in her eyes.

"I said I wouldn't hurt him if you did what I told you. Will you cooperate now, Miss Parker?"

Jess angrily wiped her tears away. "You're an awful person."

The boss grabbed Jess's chin and turned her head so she was looking up at him. "You have not yet begun to see how awful I can be."

"Get your hands off her," Becker said breathlessly. It hurt to talk. The boss held on for another few seconds to show that he didn't have to listen to Becker, then released his hold on Jess.

"Open the outer door to the Menagerie," the boss commanded again. Jess did so. "Now open the door to the loading bay."

Jess looked up at the security monitor. "There's a semi out there!" she exclaimed.

"Transport for the animals," the boss said. "Let's go."

"I don't have the clearance to unlock those doors," Jess bluffed. "Only Lester does."

"Beanstalk," the leader said, and the tall man guarding Becker grabbed his hair and pulled it back, exposing his neck. Then Beanstalk pulled out a knife and held it to the captain's throat.

"Wait!" Jess said. "Maybe... maybe I can bypass the security. Just give me a minute."

Becker wondered what Jess was doing. Of course she had the clearance to open the loading bay doors. Was she stalling? Stalling would only work if there was a chance someone would come for them. No one would be coming until 6 a.m. at least, unless an anomaly alert went off. But if Jess triggered an anomaly alert, the intruders would know. It was hard to miss the siren and flashing lights.

Jess typed quickly and soon the doors opened. Beanstalk put his knife away and released his hold on Becker but didn't move from his position behind his prisoner. Everyone watched the screen as the semi backed into the loading bay and a man hopped out of the driver's side. As the man walked closer to the monitor, Becker squinted at the black and white picture. "That looks like Todd."

Becker looked at the boss, who didn't give any indication if he was right or wrong. Then Jess looked more closely and said, "Oh my gosh, it is."

Todd Harper had just been hired two weeks earlier, the day after the Convergence. Becker had run the same security background that he did on all prospective employees. Nothing had hinted that the man would be a traitor. Becker felt a stab of anger at the betrayal, followed by guilt for not seeing it coming. "That's where you got you information," Becker said.

"It helps to have a man on the inside." The boss removed a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Brick. "See that these animals make it inside the semi. Don't be afraid to tranq them more than necessary. We wouldn't want a carnivore to wake up in transit and eat the rest of the cargo."

Brick nodded and started for the door. "Wait," the boss said. "Take him with you." He gestured towards Becker.

Jess was worried. "No, you don't have to do that. Leave him here."

The boss shook his head. "I'm going to need all hands available to get those animals moved before they wake up. All of you, go now."

Beanstalk pulled Becker to his feet. "Don't worry, Jess," Becker said. "We're going to get through this." Jess nodded silently. She watched as the men filed out of the room.

"Close the loading bay doors. Now, I need you to lock all the outer doors. We're going to make sure no one can come in," the boss told Jess.

His beeper was going off. Lester groaned and turned over in bed. Eleven fifteen. The one night this week he had gone to bed before midnight and work had to interrupt his sleep. He snatched it up and squinted at the small screen. Code 5. What was that again? Not an anomaly. Not dinosaurs loose in the ARC. He rolled his eyes as he thought back to the list of possible catastrophes Jess had come up with and assigned each one a number. It wasn't likely they would ever have a Code 14. Then again Code 27- a possible apocalypse- should have been closer to the beginning of the list. Wait, Code 5? That meant intruders in the ARC.

Lester sat up quickly, which disturbed his wife. She moaned and opened her eyes sleepily. "What is it, James?" she asked.

"Nothing important, darling. Just work. Go back to sleep." She was asleep before he even finished talking.

Lester changed in the bathroom so he could call people on speakerphone without waking his wife again. Jess didn't answer. Neither did Becker. Lester cursed. The two of them had been working late. If there were intruders in the ARC and Lester got the message by beeper and not text or a phone call, then the two of them were probably trapped inside.

Next, Lester tried Matt Anderson. After the third ring, Lester started to worry that the entire team had been captured, but then Matt answered with a sleepy, "Yeah?"

"Matt, it's Lester. We have a Code 5- intruders in the ARC. "

The team leader was awake instantly. "How many?"

"I don't know. I got the message by beeper. I think Jess set up some kind of program that can be triggered to send me warnings. I can't get in touch with her or Becker."

"I'll call Connor and Abby and we'll get there as soon as we can," Matt promised.

"I'll get some reinforcements and meet you there. "

"There's one problem."

"What's that?" asked Lester as he put on his tie.

"All the weapons will be in the armory. What will we use to fight off the intruders?"

They met up with Todd in the outer room of the Menagerie. Todd had five EMD's at his feet. Becker growled the second he saw him. "Traitor. How much are they paying you for this?"

"More than several years' worth of pay I'd get here, worrying about being eaten by a dinosaur on a daily basis."

"Just wait. There's still time for that to happen tonight." The threatening glare Becker gave his former subordinate was ruined by Beanstalk shoving him forward.

"I don't have time for office disputes," Beanstalk told Becker. "I'm going to cut you loose and you're going to help me load up the animals."

"Why would you trust that I'll help you?" Becker said.

"One, you don't get a gun or an EMD. Two, the security camera up there," Beanstalk jerked his head towards it, "shows our boss what you're up to. Let's pretend you can get the drop on all five of us. There's no way you'd be able to make it back to Operations before he can hurt her. Understand?"

Becker gritted his teeth and nodded. Beanstalk cut his bonds. The captain rubbed his wrists to get the circulation going. "So what's the plan?"

"We stun the animals, you help drag them into the semi and put them in the cage we tell you to. You go home and sleep in your own bed tonight."

"I'm not a fool. I know there's a good chance you'll kill me even if I cooperate," Becker said.

Beanstalk snickered. He made no effort to convince Becker otherwise. "Let's get moving. What does it say on the list, Brick?"

"The boss wants the herbivores in first. There's also an estimate on how many shots we'll need to take to keep each creature out. First is the Dracorex." Brick led the way easily to the pens, making Becker wonder if Todd had drawn a floor plan for the intruders. Beanstalk motioned for Becker to go next, and then the others followed behind. It didn't escape Becker's notice that Todd was last in line, probably trying to stay as far away from the captain as he could. Becker made a mental note that the former member of the ARC was intimidated by him, determined to use that to his advantage later.

Brick checked the signs until he found the Dracorex. "Nasty looking beast, innit? You sure he's an herbivore?"

"It's a she, and yes, she's a herbivore," Becker said.

"Well, someone's a dinosaur expert," Brick said sarcastically. Becker remained silent. He didn't want to tell this man about how Abby had almost died protecting this creature, or how Sarah had come up with information that had helped calm the medieval knight bent on killing the "demons." That was too personal to share with the people who invaded his work and held his friend captive. Thinking of Sarah was also too painful, even two years later.

"Let's get a move on," Phoenix said. "The sooner we get done, the sooner we get paid." The Dracorex came up to the cell door, hoping to be fed. Phoenix shot her twice, and the creature went down with a squeal of pain.

"That wasn't necessary. Once would have been enough," Becker argued.

"I'm not going to listen to you second-guess everything we do," Phoenix said angrily. "You're not in charge here. You're a prisoner. Shut up and let us do our job."

"I've got the blankets," Beanstalk said. He arranged the blanket on the floor and then pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Okay, boss. Ready for the Dracorex door to be unlocked." Becker thought back to the day when Jess accidentally let the Dracorex out of its cage. He wondered how she was doing in Operations.

The door opened with a whine and a click. Phoenix shoved Becker forward. He was really getting tired of being pushed around by these guys. "Get it on the blanket," Phoenix ordered. Becker rolled the herbivore onto the blanket.

"I'll get it to the truck," Beanstalk said.

"Take him with you," Phoenix said, indicating Becker.

The two men lifted the blanket with some measure of difficulty. They walked several dozen steps around the other cages before Becker finally said breathlessly, "Couldn't we use a cart or something?"

"Over here," was the other man's reply. They took another ten steps before they reached the cart and set the dragon on it.

"Why wasn't the cart moved closer so we didn't have to carry a dinosaur?" Becker asked.

"Wanted to see how strong you were. And how long you'd go before complaining." Becker considered asking if he'd passed this test, but decided he didn't care enough to ask it, even sarcastically. "Come on. The truck's up ahead."

"This job could be done by one man. We don't need both of us to go the rest of the way," Becker said.

"Nice try. You stay in someone's line of sight until this operation is over."

"Hello?" Connor said groggily. "Say that again?"

"What is it, Connor?" Abby asked from beside him. He waved at her to wait as he listened to Matt's voice.

"Jess and Becker are probably trapped in the ARC with hostile forces?" he repeated for Abby's sake. She leaned closer so she could hear, and Connor moved the phone so it was between the two of them.

"I need the two of you at the ARC immediately," Matt continued. "I'm in the car already with Emily. ETA 10 minutes. Lester's already been informed and he's getting us some soldiers."

"That's good," Connor said.

"If these men knew how to get into the ARC, there's a chance they know how to work the security feeds. They'll see us coming. We need to think of a plan."

"I can create a loop with my laptop that will make us invisible on the monitors," Connor offered. "I might be able to open some doors without it registering in Ops."

"Connor, I'm so glad you're one of the good guys," Matt said.

"That's been mentioned before."

Although Jess had gotten used to people hovering over her shoulder at work- Connor, Becker, Matt, Lester- this was different. None of those men had ever threatened to hurt her or someone she cared about. She was growing more uncomfortable by the minute as the leader stood behind her. "Listen," she said, surprising herself. "It's really hard to work with you breathing down my neck. Could I get another foot or so of personal space?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman tensed up. That was probably not the best thing to say to one's captor. There were several seconds of uneasy silence, then the boss backed away half a step. Jess let out a breath. "Thank you."

"Pull up the feeds for outside," he said, ignoring her thanks.

Jess did so, albeit worriedly. Lester should have gotten her distress signal, and there would be men on the way. What would happen when the man behind her saw the rescue? She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when the monitor didn't pick up any activity on the perimeter.

"Now inside," he said. He and Jess watched as Becker and the other men loaded up the dinosaurs. After a few minutes, the boss ordered her to change the view to the outside. Jess sighed quietly. This was going to get boring very fast. She almost joked that she should teach him how to change the views, but was afraid he would take her up on the offer. Her fingers itched to send out the distress signal again, but she didn't want her captor to catch on.

Connor had called Matt back almost as soon as his feet hit the bedroom floor. "The intruders could have access to our security feeds. We need to stop outside the range of the cameras to make a plan."

"Good thinking. I'll pass that along to James."

Abby drove so Connor could get started on his laptop. She knew where each WiFi hotspot started and ended based on Connor's cheers and cries of frustration. She suppressed a smile.

"No!" he cried out again. "Why does this keep happening?"

"Connor, we'll be there in five minutes. It will be okay." Connor didn't seem to hear her. A second later he cheered again.

"Yes, yes! Okay, if I can..." his voice trailed off as he typed furiously on the keyboard. Abby smiled fondly at her fiancé then concentrated on getting them to the ARC as quickly as possible.

They reached the ARC to find Matt, Emily, and Lester were gathered just out of range of the video cameras. Abby parked, and she and Connor hurried to join them. Connor walked with one arm cradling his computer.

"How's it going with that?" Matt said by way of greeting, indicating the computer.

Connor spared a look up before returning his gaze to the screen. "I've gotten into the security feeds. We can see what's going on inside."

"That's good news," Lester said.

"What about making us invisible to the cameras?" Matt asked.

"I'm working on that. I need to record what it looks like now so I have something to loop. I have to do that for each area we are going to be in." Connor continued to type one handed.

"For goodness' sake, Connor put the laptop down on something so you can type properly," Abby said.

Emily found a crate for Connor to set his computer down on and the young computer whiz knelt down beside it.

"Pause what you're doing, Connor," Lester said. "I want to see what the situation is inside."

Connor nodded and pulled up a security feed. He flipped through images of empty hallways until he came to the loading bay. "Is that Becker?"

"And another man. It looks like they're loading dinosaurs into that semi," Abby said leaning closer.

"Becker's working with the intruders?" Lester asked incredulously.

"I don't think so," Emily said, peering closer at the screen. "The other man has a gun and Becker's unarmed. They must be threatening him."

"Jess," Abby said instantly. Connor kept going through the cameras until he found Operations. Jess was sitting in her chair with an unknown man standing behind her. They were also looking at security feeds. There was an unnerving moment when the screen in Operations displayed outside the ARC, close to where Connor and the others were hiding. They tensed, but their hiding spot was secure. The strange man pointed at the screen and Jess typed something. The screen displayed an empty corridor. Matt let out a sigh of relief.

"James, how are we on backup?" he asked.

"I've got a dozen men on their way. Some of them have personal sidearms that they're bringing, but we have no EMD's at our disposal."

"Look," Connor said suddenly. "There's a bunch of men in the Menagerie."

Everyone crowded around to look. Matt pointed at the screen. "Does that look like Todd Harper to anyone?"

"Is he a prisoner too?" Connor asked.

"I don't think so. He's got a gun. He must be how the intruders got in," Abby said.

"We're going to need a way in if we're going to be any good to Becker and Jess," Lester said.

Becker and Beanstalk were back in the Menagerie. "Just the coelurosauravus and we're done with the herbivores," Brick said.

"Wait, I thought your boss wanted weapons, not pets. What's he going to do with a coelurosauravus?" Becker asked.

"It'll fetch a fair price. Besides, since it's small it won't take up much room," Brick answered.

Becker thought fast. Abby would kill him if he let these men take away Rex. "That little lizard really is a pain. He's always escaping from his cage, and he once triggered a lockdown. You don't want to mess with taking him."

"Listen," Phoenix said angrily. "I told you before, I'm tired of your smart comments. We know what we're doing, and we don't take orders from you, so put a lid on it!"

"Besides," Brick said. "It'd be a waste of a bullet to kill him."

"What do you mean, kill him?" Becker asked.

"The creatures that don't get taken, get killed," Todd said. "Creates a monopoly. No more anomalies opening, no dinosaurs in the ARC, we're the only ones you can buy a dinosaur from."

Becker glared at Todd. "You're going to kill a bunch of these dinosaurs?" Although the soldier would never classify himself as an animal lover, three years around Abby Maitland tended to nudge you in that direction. Besides, Becker had a personal philosophy of only killing things that were a danger to himself or others. These dinosaurs were caged and monitored. They weren't a threat to anyone if they were left alone.

Todd tried to glare back. "I'm not afraid of you," he said, lifting his gun to point at Becker. "You can't do anything to me."

"Put down the gun and we'll see how it turns out," Becker replied.

"Stop it," Beanstalk commanded. "Todd, the coelurosauravus isn't in its cage. Go find it." He pushed a pet carrier into the other man's arms. Todd took it and stalked off. "Brick, what have we got for the carnivores?"

The muscular man looked down at the list. "Gorgonopsid."

Becker winced. He had captured it a week ago. It was a nasty beast, and difficult to take down. "You're going to want a large dose of sedative to knock that one out," he said.

Phoenix looked like he was ready to argue again, so Beanstalk stepped in. "We have reliable notes for each creature we take."

"I just don't want to get eaten by a dinosaur tonight. I'm hoping that's your plan too."

"Grumpy, prepare the sedative. Phoenix, take Becker to get a cart for this one."

They returned with the cart to see the Gorgonopsid's cage door open. Becker tensed and reached for a gun that wasn't there. He relaxed only slightly when he saw the creature lying on its side. "How much sedative did you give it?"

"Enough," Grumpy said. "Stop worrying."

"Becker and I'll take this one to the semi. Get the next one ready," Beanstalk said.

The captain watched the creature carefully as they transported it to the loading bay. Beanstalk's walkie-talkie crackled to life when they had just reached the semi. "What is it?" the man asked, turning away from Becker, as if to keep him from hearing the conversation.

"We're having some trouble with the Kaprosuchus. It moves every time we try to knock it out," he heard Grumpy's voice say.

"Beanstalk," Becker said warningly. He was positive the Gorgonopsid had twitched. The other man waved him off and concentrated on his conversation with Grumpy.

"We don't have enough time for you lot to be mucking about. Just dose it and move on."

"Beanstalk," the captain said more urgently. He was afraid to raise his voice too much, but he didn't like the fact the only armed person in the room was distracted.

"What?" the tall man said angrily, turning around to see the dinosaur fully awake. It growled once, then leaped at Becker.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

The men Lester called had arrived. Six of the ten men had guns with them. "We have to treat this as a hostage situation," Matt was explaining. "Neither Jess nor Becker are armed. We have to be aware of their positions, as well as the intruders. There are six of them in all, including Todd Harper. You are to assume he is the enemy, unless is it proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he is otherwise. We want to get through this without any bloodshed, but, that being said, I'd rather it be them than you."

"Matt," Abby gasped. The team leader moved quickly to her side. They watched in horror as the Gorgonopsid lunged for Becker.

"We need to get in there, fast," Matt said. "Connor, don't worry about the video loops. Just make sure we can get in the front door. You five men are with me. Abby, you lead the rest of them. We'll go get Becker. I need you to get to the armory as quickly as possible, then go to Ops to protect Jess. Connor, keep an eye on everything and let me know what's going on."

Matt waited for a response, but Connor was too engrossed with his computer to notice. Abby nudged him with her foot. "What?" he said, looking around. "Yes, will do." His gaze returned to the screen.

The team leader sighed and turned back to his team. "Let's go."

Becker was thrown backward by the force of the creature's leap. He quickly put his left arm up, between the dinosaur's teeth and his own neck. It was all that saved his life. The Gorgonopsid bit down hard and Becker let out a howl of pain. He kicked upward, connecting just under the beast's ribcage. The dinosaur released its grip, probably more out of surprise that its prey was fighting back than from actual pain. Becker pressed his advantage and punched the creature in the face. It backed off and turned to look for easier prey.

Beanstalk had been frozen up until this point, but when the dinosaur faced him, he brought his weapon up and shot at it. Unfortunately, the Gorgonopsid's skin was so thick that it would take several direct hits from the EMD to do any damage. "Shoot it again!" Becker yelled, not concerned anymore if it would attract the creature's attention. The EMD was the only weapon either man had at their disposal, and if Beanstalk went down, there was no guarantee Becker could get to it before the dinosaur was on him.

Beanstalk shot again, but the Gorgonopsid was too fast. With one leap, it jumped to the left to avoid the blast, and with another it pounced on the mercenary's chest. Becker dragged himself to his feet just as the dinosaur took a bite out of the other man's neck. He held his left arm close to his body, making a note to stop the bleeding as soon as the danger of being eaten had passed. Keeping one eye on the creature, Becker tried to get to the EMD as quickly as he could without drawing the creature's attention. There was no way he would be able to outrun it even if he had been uninjured.

The force of the dinosaur's attack caused the mercenary's gun to go skittering across the floor. Becker reached it just as the carnivore looked up at him. Becker fired, over and over without pausing. The first blast made the creature growl, the second angered him enough to move towards this new threat, but by the fifth blast, the Gorgonopsid changed its mind and dashed out of the room.

Becker looked over at the body. Beanstalk was definitely dead. The captain went over to the first aid kit on the wall. He was proud of his idea to put one of these at various points in the ARC, and this wasn't the first time it had been useful. Slipping the strap of the EMD over his head and shoulder, he reached for the kit and withdrew a roll of cloth. He held the end of it in the palm of his left hand and used his right hand to wrap it tightly around his injured forearm. Then he tucked the edges under the wrappings. It wasn't his best work, but one handed and running out of time, it would have to do. As soon as he had finished, the blood was already starting to seep through.

Becker's next concern was Jess's safety. He paused briefly at another first aid kit to grab another roll of gauze, and then continued to Operations. He had his EMD drawn, partially for the Gorgonopsid, but also in anticipation of the leader of the intruders. When the boss saw him, he drew a gun as well. Jess looked up and gasped. Becker kept advancing. The boss finally realized Jess would be better leverage and pointed the gun at her instead.

Becker stopped, but didn't lower his gun. "One of your men is dead. A carnivorous creature is stalking the hallways looking for its next kill. Your men haven't faced a dinosaur in a hostile environment. I have. You want to point that gun somewhere else."

The boss considered it. "You lower your gun and so will I."

The captain lowered his weapon a hair. The boss followed suit. "At this pace, the dinosaur will be here before we're done with our standoff."

The boss sighed, but his gun arm dropped to his side. "What's your plan?"

Becker let the EMD hang on the strap and went to Jess's side. "You're hurt!" she exclaimed.

"Not too bad," he said, trying to downplay his injury so she wouldn't worry.

Jess saw the gauze. "Let me wrap that for you," she offered.

Becker handed her the roll of gauze. "Don't get any blood on you," he said. "The Gorgonopsid can smell the blood from pretty far away." Jess nodded and started wrapping the wound carefully.

"So it will be tracking you back here," the boss said angrily.

Becker fixed him with his glare. "You came into our work and stole _dinosaurs_, your men ignored my advice on how they should be sedated and transported, and when it came down to a life-or-death situation, your man froze and it cost him his life. Don't tell me how this is my fault."

The boss had to break eye contact under the intensity of Becker's glare, but then he looked back a second later. "Your plan?" he asked again.

Becker looked at the computer screen. The Gorgonopsid had apparently gone back to the Menagerie. He could see a body lying motionless on the ground. He didn't know where the other three men were.

"I'm going to the armory to get some guns. The Gorgonopsid's skin is too thick for EMD's to be any good. It's going to take real bullets to bring it down." Becker looked down at his arm as Jess finished patching it up. So far it hadn't bled through, but Becker would believe the dinosaur would still be able to track him.

"I don't like the idea of you having a gun."

"And I don't like the idea of _you_ having a gun," Becker retorted. "You can stay here and monitor the cameras. Jess and I are going."

"There's a problem with your plan," the boss said calmly.

"And what's that?" Becker asked impatiently.

"I had Miss Parker lock the armory so you wouldn't be able to get in there, even with your ID. I'll need her to unlock it if you want access."

"Go ahead, Jess. I'll wait," Becker told her.

"I think you should head to the armory. By the time you get there, she should have it unlocked. If you wait here, the dinosaur could be blocking your way, or worse, be here. As you said, your weapon won't be very effective against it."

"I'm not leaving Jess here with you and a dinosaur on the loose," Becker said. His tone implied there was no further discussion on the matter.

The two men glared at each other until Jess spoke up. "Um, can I have a say in this?" she asked. Becker and the boss turned to look at her in union. Jess flinched under the power of their combined glare. "Becker, I hate to agree with the bad guy here, but we need to take down the dinosaur and fast. If you take a comms unit, we'll be in contact. I'll feel safer if you have a gun in your hands. I mean, a real gun, not a..."

"Toy gun," Becker said with a smile.

"So it's settled?" the boss asked.

"I take your gun with me. Actually, since it's my gun, I'm taking my gun back."

"And if the Gorgonopsid comes in here? How will I defend myself?"

"I really don't care," Becker said.

"Who will protect Miss Parker?" the boss said, knowing that he struck a nerve.

Becker let out a frustrated sigh. He grabbed the man and dragged him a few feet away. For a moment, the boss was afraid he had misjudged the situation and he started to draw the gun. Becker leaned in close and hissed, "She is not to be hurt in any way. You will protect her, with your life if you have to. If you survive and she is injured, I will take great pleasure in hurting you."

"Understood," the boss said weakly. He was taken aback by the captain's fervor.

Becker looked back at Jess. "I won't be gone long. I'll get to the armory and come right back. We'll be able to track it on the cameras, so we'll see it coming in time to prepare an ambush for it."

Jess walked over to him. "Be careful," she told him.

"You too. Keep an eye on him," he said.

"I think the dinosaur has made us temporary allies," she said. "It'll be fine."

Becker grabbed one of the comms and headed out the door. "Constant communication," he said. "If I don't hear from you for sixty seconds, I'm coming back."

Since the rescue teams didn't have comms, Matt called Abby on her mobile and they left the call connected. Connor hacked into the call so he, Lester, and Emily could hear it from outside. It wasn't the best solution, but it was all they had.

"I'm in the loading bay," Matt said. "No sign of Becker or the dinosaur. There is a body though. One of our intruders. There's also blood that didn't come from him. I think Becker's been injured. There are a dozen dinosaurs in cages in the semi."

"We're still in the corridor," Abby said. "I'll let you know when we've reached the armory." Suddenly the door slammed shut in front of her. She waaved her ID and pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open. "Matt, there's a problem. The door shut on its own, and it won't open."

Matt and his team had just walked out of the loading bay. He raced to the door leading back into the bay. He tugged on the door but it was also locked. "The same thing happened here. We'll check out the Menagerie."

"I'll backtrack and see if I can find another way to the armory or Ops." Abby felt exposed without a weapon. She would feel better when they reached the armory.

"Keep in contact," Matt said.

As soon as Becker left the room, the boss turned off the comms unit and pointed his gun at Jess. "Will you stop pointing that thing at me!" she exclaimed. "We're trying to save your life and you're making it more difficult."

"You're going to do what I say, and when I turn back on the comms, you are going to act normal. Because if your friend comes back here, I have a real gun and he has, as he said, a toy gun."

"That's not what he meant by toy-" she started. Todd entered the room, out of breath. He dropped a duffle bag on the ground.

"Boss, there's a dinosaur loose-"

The boss interrupted them both. "Don't say a word until I tell you, if you value your life," he warned Todd. "Comms coming back on. "

"Jess, are you okay?" Becker said.

"I'm fine, just trying to concentrate," she said. She worried that he would be able to hear the nerves in her voice.

"And I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Totally fine. Keep heading to the armory," she told him. The boss turned off the comms again.

"Open the outer loading bay doors. Lock all the doors and disable the ID's for everyone except Todd."

She did, but asked, "Why am I doing this?"

"Because I have a gun and you don't. Hurry." As soon as she was finished, the boss forced Jess from her seat.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm cutting my losses." He looked at the screen. "We've got a clear path. Come on, Todd. And bring the duffle bag."

Matt's team reached the Menagerie without having to adjust their course. There weren't any doors in the corridor blocking their path. It was slow going however. Matt knew that Becker needed backup, but he didn't want to run into an ambush and sacrifice the men with him. It was hard balancing those two objectives, but the team leader comforted himself with the fact that Becker could usually take care of himself.

Someone had propped open the door with a crate. Matt could hear the noises clearly from the corridor. It seemed that all the animals were awake and cawing, screeching, and howling. Matt stepped in the room first, grateful he had his own gun. After the business with Ethan, he wasn't going to be caught unarmed.

Several cage doors were open, but Matt reasoned that they belonged to the dinosaurs already in the semi. He really hoped there was only one of the creatures loose. The Gorgonopsid was a formidable enough foe, he really didn't want his men to have to deal with something else, especially as ill-prepared as they were weapon-wise.

On the ground was another body, a man with red hair. Matt only looked long enough to confirm that he was deceased before continuing on. The security feeds had shown six opponents, including the boss and Todd. Two of the mercenaries were dead, leaving four intruders with guns.

His men swept the area, making sure to check up high. The team leader decided the twice a week lectures Connor gave about a particular dinosaur's strengths, weaknesses, and behaviors were handy, although he hadn't thought it at the time.

"Sir, there's blood over here that doesn't seem to belong to him," one of the soldiers said, indicating the dead mercenary.

"One more pass around the Menagerie, and then we try to find a way to the Armory," Matt said. Although if they managed to get to the room, he doubted very much they'd be able to unlock the door.

The boss dragged Jess down the corridor as quickly as she could go in heels. Her shoes made a click-click sound as they went, but the boss was so focused on where they were going that he didn't try to quiet her. He had Todd unlock one of the doors with his ID. The door opened, revealing a storage closet that was the size of a small room.

"In," the boss said tersely, and pushed Jess in before she could comply. "Now, I'm going to give you the comms back, and you're going to tell Captain Becker where you are and for him to come get you."

"It's a trap," she gasped. "I'm not doing it."

"I really think you are. Because either he hears your voice, or he hears you screaming. Either way, he'll come."

Jess was scared at the look in his eyes. "What do you want me to say?" she asked tremulously.

"Say it however you want, but get him here." He handed her the comms. She took a breath and put it in her ear.

"Jess! Jess, I'm coming back. Just stay where you are, I'm coming!" said Becker. It was apparent by his desperation that he had been calling for her for the last few minutes.

"Becker, it's me. I'm not in Operations anymore. He took me to a storage closet off the main corridor." She paused and then added quickly, "And it's a trap!"

The boss grabbed the comms from her and dropped it to the floor. He smashed it with his foot. "That was foolish," he said with a cold anger.

"You said I could tell him however I wanted."

The boss backhanded her. "You're going to regret that."

Becker went cold when he heard that the mercenaries' boss had taken Jess somewhere else. He hadn't trusted that the Gorgonopsid had turned them into allies, and this just confirmed his fears. Becker's priority was keeping Jess safe, while the boss's agenda had to do with making money. Those goals were not going to complement each other.

He ran down the hallway, not bothering to check for either the mercenaries or the dinosaur. There was only one door open, so he knew it was that one. The captain forced himself to slow down. Walking into a trap wasn't going to help Jess. He needed to stay focused.

Keeping his EMD raised, he peered into the room before stepping in. The boss stood against the back wall, his gun pressed to Jess's head. Becker was getting really sick of the man holding her hostage. "Let her go," he said, taking a few small steps into the room before stopping.

"Drop your weapon," the boss countered.

"We've done this before," Becker said.

"Becker, watch-" Jess started as Todd came up behind the captain. She let out a cry as the traitor hit Becker in the head with the butt of his gun. Becker fell to his knees.

"Get him over here," the boss said. Todd kicked the EMD into the hallway and then dragged a dazed Becker to the wall where his boss and Jess stood. Todd and the boss released their hold on the prisoners. Jess dropped to her knees to check on Becker.

"You two will stay here," the boss said, as Todd removed something from his bag. "The dinosaur will be attracted to his blood. We're setting up a bomb just outside the door. If you try to leave, it will go off. If you stay, the dinosaur will set it off when he comes for him. Either way, I'll be gone with my cargo."

"You can't just leave us to die," Jess said.

"I've killed before. When this is over, I won't give your deaths another thought. Besides, the sizable amount of money coming to me will help me sleep soundly," the boss said. Todd finished his work on the bomb. "Good luck with the dinosaur." The boss pulled the door shut.

"Becker! Becker, can you hear me?" Jess looked at his pupils, trying to see if he had a concussion.

"Still here," he said.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Jess asked softly.

"Now what would give you that idea?" Becker said casually, leaning back against the wall. He winced when he accidentally jostled his arm. Blood was seeping through the second layer of bandages.

"Well, for starters, you're bleeding out pretty fast, and we don't have any medical equipment in here. Besides that, there's the bomb outside the door keeping us from leaving. Oh, and don't forget the carnivorous dinosaur that's attracted to your blood."

"You may have a point," Becker conceded. Jess moved closer to him, and he put his uninjured arm around her.

"It's too bad the bomb isn't on this side. You could help me disable it."

"You disarm one bomb, and you think you're a professional," Becker told her.

"Sorry about the thing with the knife to the neck," Jess said, changing subjects so suddenly it confused Becker.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"When that one man threatened you? I needed a distraction to contact Lester." She sighed. "I guess it didn't work."

With effort, Becker focused his mind on the conversation. Now was not the time to slip into unconsciousness, no matter how much his tired and hurting body wanted it. Jess needed him. "Jess, I believe it did work."

"But I kept watch on the security cameras. I didn't see anyone coming," she protested.

"Jessica, you are brilliant. You can make that machine do anything you want. If you sent out a distress signal, then I have complete faith that it brought help." He took a breath. "Connor is also brilliant, although I'll never tell him that. I'm sure he's outside now, reconfiguring the whatsit on the gizmo that will muck up the... thing."

The young woman giggled despite herself. "The whatsit and the gizmo?"

"And the thing," Becker said, catching Jess's infectious grin. When their mirth had faded, he said, "Jess, if we don't make it out of here..."

"I thought we were thinking positively."

"I know, but if we don't... Jess, there's something I want to tell you."

"Yes?" she said, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I- I like you."

"I like you too."

"No, I mean. I really- Jess, I love you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. Really." She leaned forward suddenly and kissed him, in the process making his head connect with the wall behind them. He broke away and cried out.

"Sorry, sorry!" she exclaimed.

"No, I'm good. Try it again, but gently?"

"Okay," Jess said, leaning forward slowly. They were still kissing when the door opened.

"Leave you two alone, and look what happens," Matt said. "And may I add, _finally_."

"Connor, how're you doing on unlocking the doors?" Matt asked.

"Almost...got it!" Connor cried with triumph. "Your ID's will work now. Becker and Jess are in a storage room up to the left. There's no sign of the intruders around them. Abby, you should head to the armory. The Gorgonopsid is back in the Menagerie. Oh, and the leader and Todd are in the loading bay. It looks like they're leaving."

"You focus on them, Connor. Can you shut down the semi remotely?" Matt asked.

Connor shook his head, not realizing Matt couldn't see him. "It's not one of ours. I'll shut down the outer bay doors and lock them in until you can get to them."

Matt found the door. He didn't have to ask Connor which one. The bomb in front of it was a pretty good sign they were in the right place. "Roberts, go get the bomb kit from Operations. Keep your eyes open. You don't want an intruder or the dinosaur to sneak up on you."

Roberts was back in two minutes. He handed Matt the kit. Matt handed his gun off to one of his men and concentrated on the bomb. It didn't look too complex. It wasn't on a timer. Instead, it was set to detonate if there were vibrations on the door, like if someone tried to open it. Matt cut the wires gently, then moved it away from the door. When nothing happened, he breathed a sigh of relief. He opened the door to find Jess and Becker kissing.

He made a joke about it, and the couple pulled away, embarrassed. "Come on, you two. There's still a dinosaur loose, haven't you heard?"

Now we're making progress, Abby thought as she unlocked the armory. "Grab whatever you can carry," she ordered. "If we meet up with Matt's team, we'll want them armed too. We're not playing around with the Gorgonopsid. If you see it, fire and keep firing until it's on the ground."

Connor was surprised at the ferocity in her voice. "Abby, you sure about that?" he asked hesitantly. He didn't want to question Abby, knowing her team could hear him, but that didn't sound like his fiancée.

"Connor, while I'd love to bring it in alive, we have too many unarmed people in here, and there's still armed intruders to worry about. I may not like it, but this is the call I'm making."

The young man knew that Abby wasn't mad at him, she was just frustrated with the situation. "Okay, I'm not disagreeing. Just be careful. I love you."

Lester muttered to Connor, "It took me ten years to realize saying "I love you" could stop a fight. It's good that you've learned it early. "

Emily had been quiet as Matt disarmed the bomb, breathing a simultaneous breath of relief with him. Now she turned an annoyed look at the two men. "Compare tips on women later. We have an incursion going on here."

"Excuse me, I happen to be your boss," Lester said crossly. When she didn't respond he mumbled to himself about lack of respect.

The three of them watched the screen carefully. Connor had split the screen so they could keep an eye on the Gorgonopsid and Matt's team, now accompanied by Becker and Jess. The young genius wished he had all the screens of the ADD so he could watch Abby and the loading bay as well, but he had to make do with what he had. He toggled between the other cameras to try to get a complete view of the ARC. Connor hoped that he would catch any possible problems before they grew deadly.

The Gorgonopsid was currently in the Menagerie. There was plenty of prey there. It hadn't yet realized that the bars of the cages made that food inaccessible to it. "Abby, Matt's team isn't too far from you. I'll lead you to them, and then you can corner the dinosaur in the Menagerie."

Jess was now close enough to hear Connor over Matt's mobile. "Connor, you're doing my job," she said indignantly.

"Sorry, Jess," Connor said contritely.

"It's okay. You're doing a good job," she admitted.

"Abby, keep going around that corner. They're just ahead, to the right." Connor's screens now showed the two teams. As soon as they met up and started distributing weapons, he switched one screen to the loading bay. "Our visitors in the loading bay are still sitting tight, but they don't look happy." He switched the feed again. "You'd better hurry to the Menagerie. I don't think the Gorgonopsid is going to wait there much longer. He's getting restless."

"Then let's bring the fight to him," Becker said.

"You're injured," Matt pointed out. "You should rest somewhere safe."

"He'll be attracted to my blood. If I go after him, I can be a diversion while you come up from behind," Becker argued. "If I stay, it will find me while you are playing hide and seek with it."

"Fine," Matt said, exasperated. "Just don't get yourself killed after I saved your life."

"Yes, sir," Becker answered with a cheeky grin.

"Guys, the dinosaur is sniffing around a closet door in the Menagerie. I think someone's in there," Connor said.

"We're on our way," Abby said.

Jess grabbed another roll of gauze from a first aid kit on the wall. Becker made a note to see that the kits were restocked soon. He gave himself a shot of adrenaline when no one was looking. He wanted to keep up with the others, but he didn't want them to see how much the effort was costing him.

Everyone paused just outside the Menagerie. Jess used the break to rewrap Becker's arm. "There's blood in your hair," she told him.

Becker reached up and touched the wound. "It's stopped bleeding. I'll clean it up later."

Matt looked at the people behind him. "We'll go in and fan out. Remember, it has really thick skin, so try to aim for the underbelly. Some of you have EMD's, and some of you have traditional guns. I figure we stand a better chance with both of them. Be aware of ricochets. We don't want any accidents due to friendly fire."

Thankfully, through the door was the part of the Menagerie that touched the back of the animals' cages. The backs were made out of concrete instead of the metal bars that were on the front of the cages. Abby wouldn't have to worry about any of the other dinosaurs getting hurt in the fight, as long as they could contain the Gorgonopsid in this area.

"Jess, I want you to stay in one of these side rooms. I can't guarantee that the dinosaur won't make it past us, and you don't have a weapon," Matt said.

Jess nodded. "Be careful," she whispered to Becker, then scanned her ID to open a door beside them. Matt waited until the door behind her shut, then used his own ID to open the door in front of him. He motioned his team to fan out to the left, and Abby's team took the right. Together, they made a semicircle that lined the wall and blocked the corridor.

The Gorgonopsid had been focused solely on getting into the supply closet in front of him. There were large gashes in the wood that suggested the creature had been at it for some time. Becker noticed blood on the floor just outside the supply closet. When Becker entered the room, the dinosaur's attention shifted. The creature's cold eyes fixed on his new target. Becker paused in the doorway, then stepped into the room to allow the door to swing shut behind him.

"On my mark," Matt said quietly. "One..."

The creature leaped towards Becker with a growl and he dove to the side. He could hear gunfire as he brought his own gun up. The dinosaur moved fast, seeming to avoid all the bullets. Becker knew that the animal's thick skin was protecting it from injury. He had to find a way to get at the soft underbelly if he had any hope of taking down the creature.

The Gorgonopsid roared in anger at the attacks. One of the bullets managed to hit its eye. He blindly picked a spot and rushed forward. The soldiers standing there scattered. Some of them recovered quickly and turned to fire again.

Becker saw one of the soldiers, Henderson, had a gash in his thigh. He headed towards him, knowing that the dinosaur would be attracted to the smell of blood, and both men together would be an enticing target. "Hold your fire!" he commanded, but most of the men had stopped already. Their formation had broken and with everyone spread out as they were, there was too great of a chance of shooting at an ally.

The sudden silence made everyone, including the dinosaur, stop in their tracks. "Matt," Becker said, not needing to speak up to be heard. "I need to get a shot from down low. Can you give me a distraction if this doesn't work?"

The team leader almost questioned him, but changed his mind and nodded once. Becker stood side by side with Henderson with their backs a foot from the wall. "It's going to come right at us," Becker told him. "Get ready to move left and I'll move right. We'll have a good angle for a shot."

The other man answered, "Yes, sir."

The dinosaur had been turning his head back and forth, almost as though it was following the conversation. It growled at them. The dozen men plus Abby waited with their breaths held to see if the plan would work. For a few moments, the Gorgonopsid just stood there. Then it sniffed the air and stalked towards Becker and Henderson."Wait for it," Becker murmured. The two men stayed still for several agonizingly long seconds, only jumping to the side at the very last moment. Becker's shoulder protested at catching the weight of his body, but he let off three rapid shots at the dinosaur's relatively vulnerable underside. The Gorgonopsid let out another roar, and then it fell to the side.

Becker tried to force himself to stand quickly in case the creature was not really dead, but the others had moved forward to cover him. Becker's whole body ached, and he was grateful when Matt extended a hand to help him up. The head of security took his time walking the few feet to the supply closet. It didn't require an ID to open, so he didn't wonder how Brick got in there. The mercenary's eyes were glassy, but Becker checked for a pulse anyway. The man was dead, probably from a combination of his wounds and the fear from the giant carnivore stalking him.

Matt had followed him. "How many others are there, then?"

"This is the second body I've found. The other one was in the loading bay," Becker answered.

"I found a ginger man in another section of the Menagerie," Matt said. "Also dead."

"That leaves the boss and Todd-" Becker started.

"They're locked in the loading bay, courtesy of Connor."

"And Grumpy," Becker said. When Matt gave him a look, he said, "What? I didn't give them the code names."

Grumpy was found soon enough, thanks to Connor checking the surveillance. Matt and a few of his men took him into custody, along with the boss and Todd. Lester, Connor, and Emily came inside once they had received word that the dinosaur was dead. Jess was also told that the coast was clear.

Lester forced Becker and Henderson to allow someone to look at their injuries. Becker's arm had stopped bleeding. The medic who tended to him removed the other bandages so he could apply medicine. Becker bit the inside of his lip as the gauze pulled on his wound as it was being unwrapped. The man also checked his pupils and asked him questions to make sure he didn't have a concussion. The head of security was glad when the medic declared him good to go.

At last Lester was happy things were settled. "All right, everyone clear out and go home. I want to see you all here at 8 AM."

Connor looked at his watch. "But it's after one now."

"That's why I'm sending you home so you can get some sleep."

"Couldn't we come in a little later?"

"Fine. Nine o'clock," Lester said.

Everyone looked at Connor to see if he would press the matter. He did. "How 'bout noon?"

"Don't push it, Temple."

"Sir, I almost died tonight. Can I get the day off?" Becker asked with a straight face.

"If we all took days off when we had a near-death experience, nothing would ever get done around here. Nine o'clock," Lester repeated.

As the others drifted towards the front door, Jess went over to Becker. "So I'm thinking seven," she said.

Becker stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was talking about. "You want to get to work earlier?"

"No, 7 PM. For our date," Jess said.

"Sorry, what date?" Becker asked. Maybe it really was a concussion. He was having a hard time keeping up with this conversation.

"You said that you love me. Abby told me that Connor first told her that during a dangerous situation where they both could have died, and then later pretended it didn't happen. It took them another year before they started dating. It's already been over a year for us. I don't want to wait another. You're picking me up tonight at 7." Jess waited expectantly. When Becker didn't immediately answer, she got nervous. "I mean, you don't have to. Go on a date with me, that is. Maybe you did just say it because we were about to die and you didn't really mean it. This is so embarrassing. Just forget what I said. It doesn't-"

"Jessica Parker," he interrupted. "I will pick you up at seven."

She searched his eyes, trying to see if he was saying that out of guilt or because she was pressuring him. "You don't have to," she said again.

"I want to. I will see you at seven."

"Then it's a date," Jess said happily.

"It's a date," Becker repeated.

The End


End file.
